'Fraggle Rock' Movie 'Edginess' Explained

Do you remember watching Fraggle Rock when you were growing up? Then you're the target market for the new Weinstein-produced Fraggle Rock movie, because it's aimed at an edgier, adult audience. That was the verdict of The Weinstein Company, according to director Cory Edwards in blog posts last month, as reported by Cinematical here.

According to the director of Hoodwinked! fame, the Weinstein Co. had sought a screenwriter to bring an edge to the material that would appeal to moviegoers most likely to be familiar with the property, an audience which has grown up in the nearly 30 years since the show aired.

We speculated at the time that the Weinsteins wouldn't have been happy with Edwards's comments. Talking to You Bent My Wookie, Edwards explains that things have changed. "Since then, I've been able to sit down with Weinstein's new VP of Development and really talk about their issues with the movie. We've had some very good conversations about what they think 'edgy' is and what I think 'edgy' is."

He told the site he was planning to stay true to the heart of the series. "I think that with a lot of beloved properties that have been turned into movies, we see time and time again, that if you stray from the core root inspiration that made it successful, you're doomed.

"We got down to the philosophies of why to even make a Fraggle movie in the first place. And I think [the Weinsteins have] been able to qualify their word 'edgy' with the word 'older'. They want this movie to connect with an older, more sophisticated audience."

The Weinstein position makes a certain amount of sense in the context of an old franchise whose audience is going to be attracted for nostalgic value, but the Weinsteins are businessmen first and foremost, so it's probably unlikely we'll see a hard-R version of the show. Rumbles inside the production are often early signs of a landslide, though, so don't be surprised if the Fraggle Rock movie doesn't make it to screens any time soon.